An overwhelming majority of Xer and Millenial Britains have a negative opinion of France.

Originally Posted by AFP

Eighty-six percent of people in Britain aged 18 to 30 think the French deserve "a popular negative stereotype," suggests an opinion poll conducted for an Anglo-French art show in London.

That compares to 27 percent of like-aged people in France who felt the British held a negative stereotype of their nation, according to the survey.

The informal poll of 500 people in London, and as many in Paris, was commissioned by the organisers of an Entente Cordiale art show that opened in west London over the weekend. No margin of error was disclosed.

"British people should face up to the fact that they have an enormous problem when it comes to the French," said exhibition organiser Richard Kaye, a Brition resident in France.

"The British will make jokes about the French which would, if made to the detriment of other national or ethnic groups, be considered extremely racist and dangerous."

I would like to see how the baby boomers feel, but there is still a deep fault line between the two countires.

Given their shared history over the last 1000 years, what would one expect? It has only been during the last century and a half that the two have been able to even begin to loosen the habit of going to war with each other every few decades, and they almost fell off that wagon in 1898, over an outpost in what is now southern Sudan.

Originally Posted by SVE-KRD

Given their shared history over the last 1000 years, what would one expect? It has only been during the last century and a half that the two have been able to even begin to loosen the habit of going to war with each other every few decades, and they almost fell off that wagon in 1898, over an outpost in what is now southern Sudan.

Definately. Who says a mideast war over Israel won't have them fighting again?

Originally Posted by SVE-KRD

Given their shared history over the last 1000 years, what would one expect? It has only been during the last century and a half that the two have been able to even begin to loosen the habit of going to war with each other every few decades, and they almost fell off that wagon in 1898, over an outpost in what is now southern Sudan.

I agree with the general sentiment: it will take more than a century of peace before Britain and France really *like* each other. I'm certain, for instance, that both ends of the Chunnel have explosives wired into them... just in case.

But for all that, I can't see anything that would cause them to actually go into open war against each other. Tighten their borders again, perhaps, and pick at each other diplomatically... but the problems of the world are now between regions, not nations as small as European ones.

Europe is effectively a bloc now, with Britain having additional ties to the Commonwealth and American blocs. (France *could* have had a matching La Francophone bloc if they could stop thinking of Francophone countries as partners instead of colonies. They can't and don't. The concept of the equality of all Commonwealth countries is what makes the Commonwealth work.) There would have to be a massive Euro-Anglo split for war to return, and I just can't see that happening despite all the carping around short of a complete Islamist takeover of France: I set odds on that at around 200:1.

More likely, I think, is increased chaos in France (and perhaps the Benelux as well) as a result of their disastrous cites-cum-ghettos and their ostrich-like social policies, necessitating sealing the borders there to prevent chaos from spreading. The other nations of Europe have been dealing with their problem in various ways -- Spain has a long history of Muslim interaction (often with pointy bits, true, but...); Britain's multicultural policy actually puts it in good stead despite the necessity of some adjustments; Germany has been thinking about their Turkish guest-worker program for years, and just a couple of years ago regularized naturalization proceedings; and so forth. France is the most extreme country in terms of maintaining cultural purity (though not genetic purity!), so I think they will be the country where trouble flares up worse. Indeed, there have recently been riots in cites near Paris. I don't expect it to have any effect on French policy and I expect the riots to get worse.

Such is close to impossible in Britain, because there is a much greater sense that the Muslim population is a part of the community. Unlike France, they didn't set the bar of entry to British society too high. There are grievances to be aired, but there is also a clear mechanism to have them be heard and a sense that they will be heard. Therefore I think Britain will have far fewer tensions from their Muslim population during the 4T.

FOLLOWUP: http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe....ap/index.html

My best hope for Israel and the Palestinians is that in a hundred years they hate each other about as much as the British and the French do.

Catfish,

What I think Michael is getting at has to do with his belief in John Xenakis's "Generational Dynamics" theory. GD calls for genocidal thinking to have a greater propensity to manifest during the Crisis period of his War Cycle. John seems to think that the long-standing animosity between England and France could flare up again, and he suggests the focal point or catalyst could be their respective Middle Eastern policies.

Vey interesting topic... mmm I think this situation is... all in all, normal; the problems between this countries were born back in the Middle Ages during the War of 100 years, and then in the age of the great colonialist empires. But thanks the Lord there is a solution... an unified and utterly integrated Europe beyond cultural and religious barriers.